Math in Origami

Presented by
(30101), (30102), (30107), (30132)

Table of Contents
What is origami? What can it do? Problems Resources & Mastery

What is Origami?
Origami, or paper folding is an art developed in ancient time by artists. Today, through the efforts are being made to connect mathematics with origami. Its basis was created when two mathematicians Huzita and Hatori created 7 axioms of origami. In modern science, it is used for preserving solar panels on satellites by folding it up during its departure from the Earth. It is also used in many other areas because of its interesting ability to convert 2D forms into 3D structures.

What Can It Do?(1)

Here are the Huzita-Hatori axioms; 1. There is a fold that passes through two points at once. 2. You can make a fold that places one point to the other. 3. By folding the paper, you can place a line onto another. 4. There is a fold perpendicular to a line that passes a point. 5. Given two points and a line, there is a fold that places one point to the line and passes the other. 6. When there are two lines and points, there is a fold that places each point onto a line. 7. A specific fold exists that is perpendicular to a line and places a point onto another line.

What Can It Do?(2)

The Huzita-Hatori axioms are basic principles that connect mathematics with origami. It makes possible to solve many problems that were previously unsolvable using orthodox geometry. One example would be trisection of an angle, one of the problems deemed impossible using compass and a ruler. Origami can also be used to move lengths to a certain line, bisect angles, move a point, move a specific length to the center, etc. (Write on the board) Using the axioms and the methods listed above, one can use it in vast many other areas, for example the construction of a regular pentagon.

Problems
Let us now solve the following problem; Construction of a Regular Pentagon(on a square paper) 1. Single side of a pentagon measures (5^(1/2)-1)/2. 2. Fold the paper in half make a fold passing the corner and the creased corner made by the previous fold. 3. Match one of the divided sides to the previous fold transfer the subtracted length on one side of the paper. 4. Move the length to the center fold the length so that lean other sides to make a regular pentagon.

Resources & Mastery

When you become more familiar with origami, you would realize that there are a lot applications of paper folding in math, especially in the fields of geometry. One example would be proving that area of any internal rectangle in a triangle is smaller than half the area of the triangle. It is a simple matter of dividing the triangle into many pieces of right triangles. If one considers paper folding, it becomes much easier to prove such thing There are also other interesting facts about paper folding, such as representing the topology of a certain 3D structure by showing how a 2D paper can be folded into such shape. For example, the development drawing of a sphere is a 4-edged paper with a fold on each 2 pairs of 2 edges each sharing an overlooking corner in the same direction. For more information go to; -http://www.numeracyworks.com/Site/Paper_Folding.html -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics_of_paper_folding -http://www.paperfolding.com/math/